Gas-retort



W. A. SIMONDS. GAS BETORT.

No. 20,448.. Patented June 1, 1858.

UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE- W. A. SIMONDS, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

GAS-RETORT.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 20,448, dated June 1, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VARREN A. Snronos, of Chelsea, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas Retorts for the Manufacture of Gas from Coal, Rosin, or Oil; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a front view of a gas retort with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is the main retort of the same form as the coal gas retorts commonly used.

B, is the secondary retort consisting of a tube starting from the top of the rear end of the main retort A, and extending forward over the top of and parallel or nearly so with the first-named retort and beyond the front thereof. This secondary retortmay be cylindrical or of any other form in its transverse section. It is at such distance from the top of the main retort as to allow its own bottom and the top of the main retort to be exposed to the heat of the furnace, and it has no other communication with the main retort except at the connection a, (Fig. 2) at the rear end. The main retort is fitted in the usual or any well-known manner with the usual movable head C, for charging and cleaning it, and the secondary retort is fitted with a similar movable head I), for the purpose of enabling it to be cleaned out. a

E, is the stand pipe leading to the hydraulic main, said pipe being attached, not to the main, but to the secondary retort and close to the front end of the said retort.

Z), is the escape pipe for drawing off the tar that may accumulate at the front end of the secondary retort by condensing within and running down the stand pipe; said escape pipe being attached to the secondary retort at or close to the bottom thereof, and under the stand pipe E.

c, is the cock for opening and closing the escape pipe 5.

(Z, is the pipe for supplying oil or melted rosin to the retort when oil or rosin gas is to be made; the retort in that case to be filled or nearly filled with coke or other substance of porous or cellular structure. This pipe (Z, passes through the head C, but instead of being attached directly to the said head, it is screwed into a cap 6, which screws on to the rear end of a larger pipe f, which is screwed into the head C, from the inside. This method of applying the pipe (Z, leaves the pipe f, open at the front end, so that air may enter and fill the space within it surrounding the pipe (Z, and thus keep the pipe (Z, from being over-heated, and soon becoming stopped up by the carbonization of the oil around its sides.

y, is a cock in the pipe (Z, to regulate the supply of oil or rosin to the retort. The connection between the pipe f, and the retort should be of such character that it might be readily undone to admit of the removal of the head C, of the retort. The pipes f, and (Z, remain attached to the head G, of the retort after its removal. The front portion of the bottom of the retort has a down ward inclination from the mouth backward to prevent the oil settling and becoming carbonized upon the bottom of the retort.

The process of making coal gas in the main retort A, is conducted in the same manner. as in an ordinary horizontal retort and much undecomposed tarry vapor escapes along with the gas. Most of this vapor, however, in passing through the secondary retort B, which is heated all around and nearly its whole length is decomposed into permanent gas and caused to pass off in that condition, the small quantity of tarry vapor that is not thus decomposed escaping with the gas through the stand pipe and the hydraulic main to the condenser where it is condensed and collected in the usual manner. lVhat little of tar that is condensed in the stand pipe, and trickles down the stand pipe, collects at the junction of the said stand pipe and secondary retort from whence it is drawn OH or blown through the pipe Z), into a suitable receptacle from time to time, say every half hour, by opening the cock 0. In rctorts of the usual construction, the tar that is carried up by the gas condenses in the stand pipe and falls back into the retort, where it crystallizes and clogs up the retort. In practice this is a serious difl i culty. But by having an escape pipe (1)) almost directly under the stand pipe E the tar may be drawn ofi' as fast as formed, and

all difliculties from the above causes prevented. The movable head C, of the secondary retort may be taken oil as often as necessary to clean it out, and the movable head C, of the main retort, may be taken off whenever required to clean or charge the retort, but for the latter purpose its removal is not necessary in manufacturing rosin or oil gas, as the rosin or oil is supplied continuously through the pipe f.

If it be desired to make gas from coal in the retort, the pipes (Z, and f, may be taken out and a plug be screwed into the hole in the head C, from which the pipe f, has been removed. By the mode of applying the pipe (Z, the retort is enabled to be used for coal or for resin or oil at pleasure. And

by the arrangement of the secondary retort so as to be entirely independent of the mam retort except at the connection a, both retorts are allowed free expansion on all sides and hence the injury that occurs to retorts having cells or chambers outside separated only by a partition, from the greater expansion of the exterior, is obviated. I

It will be observed that my retort, although having two chambers, is cast all in one piece, or forms one casting. In a patent heretofore granted to me, I make use of a double-chambered retort, composed of separate tubes, put together by means of screwjoints. For many kinds of distillation, such retorts are defective, owing to the utter impossibility of rendering the said joints gas-tight. When heated, the parts expand or contract unevenly, and the gas escapes. By my improvement, I have the advantages of the separated chambers, and as the retort is all formed in one piece or casting, none of the difficulties arising from leaky joints are experienced.

I am aware that retorts have been constructed with cells or chambers through which the gas is caused to pass two or more times the length of the retort, as for instance the retorts of Cresson and of Hock;

but in those retorts the cells or chambers prevent the full exposure of the main retort to the heat of the furnace and the cells themselves are only partially exposed to the heat.

I do not claim, broadly, the invention of double chambered retorts, whether the said chambers are placed side by side or sep arately. Nor do I claim a tubular retort connected. at either end by joints and plugs. But

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. A common coal retort A, with a separated return chamber B, above and outside but connected at the back end with the lower chamber A, when the whole is made in one piece, and forms a continuous retort, as herein set forth.

2. I claim placing an escape pipe (1)) directly under the stand pipe E, which con-- ducts the gas to the hydraulic main, for the purpose of drawing off the tar, and prevent ing it from returning to the retort B, to crystallize and clog up the'said retort.

WVARREN A. SIMON DS. WVitnesses W. TUSCH, W. HAUFF. 

